The Bravest of Them All
by Purema
Summary: "Among the people we all know who do you think is the bravest?" Much to Merlin's surprise silence took over the camp. What will each of the knights answer and why? Now complete!
1. Percival

**The bravest of them all**

"So, what question next? Merlin, do you have any ideas?" asked Gwaine.

"You won't let me do the dishes in peace, will you? Fine, since this is one you like to brag about, it will keep you busy for a while: among the people we all know, who do you think is the bravest?"

Much to Merlin´s surprise, silence took over the camp.

"Oh for heaven´s sake - I´m giving you a chance to talk about knightly stuff!"

Merlin would understand if he knew what was going through the knights' heads; but he didn´t. He could only listen in shock how they one after another said the same name, every one reluctant to tell why they had chosen that particular person.

When Merlin heard his name come from the first mouth, he almost dropped the dishes. After hearing his name for the third time, he just let them drop and watched the various expressions on the knights´ faces when they said his name.

Lancelot looked at him with a smile while uttering his name clearly. Gwaine looked at him in awe. Elyan rested his chin on his hand and looked curious. Arthur wouldn´t look at him at all. Leon looked a bit - if it was possible - both proud and embarrassed. Percival´s gaze was neutral but still acknowledging.

Behind every expression was a memory of bravery that surpassed their own.

**_Percival – Darkness_**

"Merlin you shouldn't go without a torch even if you are not going far." Said Percival when Merlin had stood up to get more firewood and started to just walk towards the darkness of the forest.

"Darkness can´t hurt me sir, Percival." Answered Merlin calmly, stopping to look at the knight.

"How can you be so sure? It´s a world of it´s own."

If Percival had learned something well in his childhood, it was to never approach darkness without light. It could get you lost or hide your doom. Nothing good would come out of wandering in the darkness - you could very well not wander out of it at all.

"Yes, it is; but I have lived in it for so long I know it´s ways - how the things are done in there. I have overcome all the cultural prejudices, so to say. I´m practically part of that world."

And then Merlin melted into the darkness, even though the smile he was wearing was so bright you would think it would light up the whole forest.

Percival could walk, fight, live, do anything during a day without being fully dependent on anything. It seemed Merlin could do it all even if he was going on under the moon. Merlin could - would - walk straight to the battlefields Percival wouldn´t even dare to seek. How Merlin could do that, the knight didn´t know.

* * *

Beware! This is my first real multi chapter story! I have already written all chapters for it and will post all of them during a week and a half. There will be own chapters for Gwaine, Arthur, Elyan, Leon, Lancelot and Merlin but not necessarily in this order. Each chapter contains the memory behind their answer about the bravest person.

I don´t own Merlin or any of the characters.

English is not my first language so I hope you will point out any mistakes you find. Reviews would be highly appreciated.

Thank you for your time!


	2. Leon

_**Leon - Heights**_

"How can you do that? I have faced creatures of every kind, but…" Leon´s words trailed down like his eyes, shame in his posture.

"Sir Leon. This will stay between us - I promise." Said Merlin calmly.

The knight raised his head to look at the servant who had a tiny smile on his face; not a mocking one, and not a one of pity. Reassurance, maybe.

"I have climbed trees as long as I can remember." Then Merlin added, something twinkling in his eyes:

"I have also flown so the trees are nothing compared to that - Camelot doesn't look half as bad from above."

Merlin ended his sentence with a finger raised to his lips as if asking for silence - for secrecy - before backing away, turning and climbing again. Leon just watched how the pieces of training equipment fell of the tree one by one, Merlin hunting them down even from the highest of the branches. Town´s kids had a wicked sense of humor.

Leon knew he really should take the last part as mocking but somehow he just couldn't. Merlin couldn't certainly fly but… the excitement in his eyes wasn't faked as he claimed to have done so.

In the end Leon just sighed and took Merlin´s promise. In a way, he held a promise of his own now; if the boy could fly Leon wouldn't cut off his wings.


	3. Lancelot

_**Lancelot – Thunder**_

Merlin had asked Lancelot to accompany him. He had wanted to try something in the forest and it had to be done then while thunder was raging outside. Lancelot hadn´t had nerve to say he would rather stay inside; so here he was, on the edge of a clearing, watching as Merlin reached his arm towards the skies that rumbled in anger.

Lancelot felt his stomach turn when the first lightning finally struck down.

The lightning struck down on Merlin only to become tamed in the firm grasp of his hand. That was the moment when Lancelot thought he finally knew why druids had that look in their eyes every time they talked about the warlock - the look of respect and fear. It seemed as if the word "warlock" equals power.

With exited wonder in his eyes, Merlin graced the lightning with his fingers, like brushing a little.

The warlock had spoken truthfully when he said he liked thunder because it felt like it was everywhere - without boundaries in earth or skies. It seemed everywhere included in Merlin's grasp.

While watching his friend petting power, Lancelot realized there was no point in being scared of thunder - at least not as long as he was traveling with this mysterious lord of lightning.


	4. Elyan

_**Elyan – Snakes**_

"Whoa!"

"What is it, Elyan? Are you okay?" asked Arthur, hurrying back to his knight.

"Yes, I´m fine. I just almost stepped on a snake. It´s huge!" he said, looking distraught.

"Where is it?!" asked Merlin, urgency lacing his voice.

"Don´t worry Merlin - I will protect you from the fury of that vicious beast." Snorted Arthur.

"Shut up, Arthur. Where is it, Elyan?" asked Merlin and grabbing a long knife straight out from Arthur´s belt, much to the King´s shock.

"It went there. It should be just behind that rock." Answered Elyan looking at Merlin in confusion.

"You can´t just take your king´s weapons whenever you please, _Mer_lin!" shouted Arthur, gesturing wildly at his belt.

Merlin didn´t listen - he was already crouched down behind said rock.

"Merlin, you do know that snake is poisonous, don´t you?" asked Elyan, glancing worriedly at the servant.

"Oh yes. I have been bitten enough times to tell the differences between these overgrown worms. What I also know, is that they are a great meal." Then Merlin stroke the knife down with almost snake-like speed.

"Got it." And then Merlin raised his hand a dead snake in it. Elyan took a step back when Merlin walked past him to give the King back his knife. Arthur was gawking impressively.

"You can´t seriously be considering feeding that to us."

Merlin looked up at Arthur´s eyes, angrily.

"Well, yes, I do if you don´t want to chew roots for the rest of the day. We are still two days from Camelot, and at least I don´t have enough extra fat to keep me going at your pace for two whole days without food."

"It´s a snake, Merlin!"

"I know, Arthur! I have been almost killed by them numerous times while hunting them! My mother and I would have died of starvation years ago if there weren´t snakes and rats to eat. You wouldn´t eat the rat soup I made for you - I know it´s not good but it´s meat nonetheless. So, liked by you or not, I will make a soup out of this - you don´t have to eat it."

With that Merlin marched away ahead of them.

Elyan watched, impressed, as Merlin walked angrily away the dead snake swinging in his grasp. He had always been scared of snakes and to think that Merlin had lived by eating them…

Arthur, on the other hand, gritted his teeth - he had almost lost Merlin to such a thing as starvation before even meeting him. Arthur was in debt of gratitude for those little poisonous creatures which he often sneered at.

Arthur also didn't like that Merlin had to save his life with something that could very well get him killed.

* * *

Do you get it? Do you? HMMMM? No, not that. THAT.

(Sorry. I couldn't resist.)


	5. Arthur

_**Arthur – Physician work**_

Arthur could make wounds - even fatal ones - without a thought in a battle; But he did not have the courage to mend them together.

Arthur was ashamed of it, but only the thought about pulling a needle trough someone´s skin made him nervous. He could bandage minor wounds, but if he needed to make any kind of healing salve for those wounds his hands would shake - what if he made a mistake and the wound got only worse because of him?

He had courage for bringing and facing death, but healing and fighting death trough something else than physical power was too… scary for him.

Arthur could say anything about Merlin's courage on battlefields, but he knew the truth. The truth was that Merlin was always there without the protection training gave for his knights; but also when Arthur stopped fighting Merlin would continue.

Merlin was braver than him. The boy - man - spend his days with Arthur so he couldn't have much time to actually study and learn what Gaius did. Merlin wasn't a physician but he did his best with the little knowledge he had - and he did it with confidence.

Once after a battle Merlin asked if he had ever done stitches before and held a needle and thread out for him. Arthur had frozen, his eyes wide and focused on the needle. Merlin had looked him in the eyes for about five full seconds, given Arthur a bandage, and told him to go help Gwaine with a scratch while he prepared to do those stitches himself.

Merlin never tried to give him a needle again. There were weapons in this world Arthur didn't dare to try to master. Merlin would wield those weapons for him.


	6. Gwaine

_**Gwaine – Boundaries**_

"Magic would look good on you Arthur." Said Merlin, out of the blue.

"_What?!_" seethed the prince.

"Magic. The fire in front of you makes your eyes look like they are made of molten gold - as if you were using magic. And it looks good with your equally golden hair. Don´t get used to these kinds of compliments, though. It doesn't mean you also have some kind of golden halo around your head - oh, wait. You do have that golden circle which is probably too tight and partially responsible of your really slow though processes. You have forgotten to close your mouth Arthur. And, while we are on it-"

It looked like Arthur was confused about if he should try to follow what was coming out of Merlin´s mouth or just get angry.

Gwaine was awed. It was true that he himself wasn't that fond of boundaries, he fully ignored many of them and pushed many more. But even for Gwaine there was a few things he wouldn't push - not here in Camelot. Magic - as a subject - was one of them. He could try to get the princess pissed off with many ways, but even he wouldn't dare to use that one.

It looked like Merlin didn't care. All the knights knew that when it came to Merlin, he had the boundaries of his own. If Arthur let him speak his mind then none of them would step in.

If they did Merlin would probably just turn his frustrated attention and insults at them.

Merlin had just spoken like he was trying to court the prince, while at the same time managing to practically speak of treason.

Gwaine was starting to think that when it came to speaking his mind, the man didn't have boundaries at all.

He was going to learn a lot from that friend of his.

* * *

Oh my gosh; this story is so short but it still have more alerts than my collection of oneshots "The Games". Thank you so much all of you reading this!

Some of you probably expected for me to leave Arthur and Merlin as the last chapters but I would never forget our lovely Gwaine ;)

The next chapter will be the last one! We get to see Merlin's thoughts in it. I really hope some of you will give a chance for my other stories after this journey together.


	7. Merlin

_**Merlin - Nothing**_

"What do you fear?" asked Lancelot quietly in the same evening.

Merlin had not given much of a response to the declarations of his bravery earlier. The young man had just walked away like in a daze, leaving the dishes on the ground. When he finally came back, Lancelot was the only one brave enough to talk to him. He was also the only one to pick up the dishes after Merlin left, so he kind of earned the right to approach Merlin first with that. The others let the two men converse in peace.

Merlin was quiet for a while before answering him.

"It depends on the day. I fear I will lose someone important to me; that I fail to protect them. I fear fire because it might be my end on the pyre. I fear Arthur will find out my secret and hate me…"

There was a silent pause again. Merlin looked up from his hands but his expression told that he saw nothing.

"That´s on a good days. If it´s a bad day my line of thought changes. Then I think; I have lost loved ones already - I have seen how their lives have been ripped away. I know that pain; it´s not fear, it´s expectation. I think there´s no point fearing fire since I know it too. I have been shot with a fireball; I know what it smells and feels like when my skin burns. It´s not fear, it´s knowledge. I think it doesn't matter if Arthur finds out, since nothing will change. He treats me like a piece of worthless trash already. It´s not fear, it´s my life."

Now Merlin turns to look at Lancelot with oddly - worryingly - calm and thoughtful expression.

"So maybe you were right. On days like that I think I have experienced everything worth of worrying about. On those days I fear nothing."

Lancelot can only stare, speechless. Merlin looks away again now leaning his chin on his hand.

"On those miserable, miserable days. This is why I don´t understand why you knights are ashamed if you have to admit you have fears. Because if that day when you fear nothing comes, it doesn't mean every possible threat has disappeared. It means you don't care what happens to yourself."

While looking him straight in the eyes, the campfire spitting sparks into the night sky, Merlin whispered:

"It´s not bravery to be fearless."

* * *

The End.

Thank you for this journey together! I would just love to hear what are your thoughts about this story as a whole. Or perhaps you could tell which chapter was your favorite and why?

I hope some of you will stay reading my stories in the future too. In any case; Thank you!


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